Stolen Moments
by MegTDJ
Summary: Even the longest day of their lives has its moments. Fair Game missing scene. 16 in the Love Comes Softly series.


Title: Stolen Moments  
Author: MegTDJ  
Category: Missing scene; drama  
Rating: K+  
Pairing: Daniel/Janet pre-ship   
Spoilers: Fair Game  
Summary: Even the longest day of their lives has its moments. #16 in the Love Comes Softly series.  
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1, its universe and its characters are not mine. The story itself is, however, so please don't archive without my permission.

Author's notes: Wow, two of these in three days! As usual, thanks to Misty and Kerri. My muse would be limp and lifeless without you guys. ;)

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

**Stolen Moments**

Daniel took his time gathering his things after the briefing. He couldn't believe he'd just volunteered to wait on a bunch of Goa'uld hand and foot. This wasn't going to be a very good day.

He passed various personnel on his way to his office, all of them hurrying about their business with worried looks on their faces. Not one of the people on the base wanted to let the Goa'uld through that gate, but what could they do? The Asgard had pretty much backed them into a corner, and although Daniel trusted that they had Earth's best interest at heart, he knew it wouldn't take much for this day to go terribly, horribly wrong.

And Jack was going to be representing Earth in the negotiations. That thought didn't leave him feeling very optimistic.

Once he'd dumped his things on his desk, he left his office and headed for the VIP rooms to see if whoever was in charge of fixing them up for their guests needed any help. He knew who these Goa'uld were more than anyone, after all. Except perhaps for Teal'c, but Daniel knew he wouldn't be going anywhere near them if he could possibly help it.

Chronus, Nirrti, and Yu. Three names he'd read about all his life, and now here he was, preparing to act more or less as their servant and escort for however long these negotiations lasted. It was all a little surreal, even for him.

Especially when it came to Nirrti. Daniel had been around for some of Cassie's nightmares about the terrible things she'd experienced because of that particular Goa'uld. He wasn't looking forward to putting on a pleasant face and attending to her every whim.

He couldn't even imagine what Janet must be thinking about the whole thing.

Janet... he hadn't even seen her leave the briefing room. He kicked himself for letting her leave without first making sure she was okay. He wasn't the only one who had a tough day ahead, after all.

Before he gave himself a chance to think twice about it, he made a detour on his way to the VIP rooms and stopped in at the infirmary. That entire level was calm and quiet as compared to the rest of the base, presumably because there weren't any weapons to be collected or rooms to be readied. It seemed to be business as usual.

He poked his head in each room that he passed, scanning them quickly for any sign of Janet before moving on to the next. When he hadn't found her by the time he reached her office, he figured that must be where she was. He knocked softly on the door and waited to hear her muffled, "Come in."

"Hey," he said when he opened the door and saw her sitting at her desk.

"Daniel," she said, obviously surprised to see him there. "What can I do for you?"

"Nothing, I, uh... I just wanted to see if you were okay."

Janet gave him a puzzled look and then laughed. "I'm fine," she said. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Daniel shrugged and stepped further into the room. "I saw your face when I mentioned Nirrti's name," he said. "I know these negotiations aren't going to be a picnic for any one of us, but... I just thought I should... as a friend... make sure you're okay with her coming here."

Janet's expression softened, and she forced a smile. "That's sweet, Daniel. Thank you. I'll be fine, though, really."

Daniel returned the smile and nodded. "Okay."

"Nirrti had just better hope I don't get her in a room alone," Janet added with a trace of anger in her tone.

Daniel felt a strange urge to laugh at that mental image, so he quickly shooed it from his mind. What he wouldn't give for it to happen, though...

"Good luck with your job this afternoon," Janet said quickly, as though to prevent him from responding to her comment. "Sounds like you'll have your hands full."

Daniel rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, that's probably an understatement," he said. "I've heard tales about how demanding foreign ambassadors can be during summits here on Earth - can you imagine how much worse the Goa'uld are going to be?"

Janet gave him a sympathetic smile. "Just don't let them get to you," she said. "When this is all over and Earth is safe from the Goa'uld once and for all, everyone is invited back to my place for a celebration. That should give us all something to look forward to."

Daniel laughed, pleased to see how optimistic she was feeling. He wished he could feel the same. "You're so sure this is going to work?" he asked.

"Positive," Janet said with a nod. "Now go get back to work." She gave him a dismissive wave, but the teasing smile on her face stole from the impact of the strictness in her tone.

"As you wish," Daniel said, practicing his diplomatic air and polite bow.

He somehow felt ten times more optimistic about the whole thing as he hurried down the hall and got back to work.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

"Here's to saving Earth... again," Jack said with his beer bottle raised.

"And the Stargate," Sam added, raising her own glass.

"Again." Jack took a swig of beer while everyone laughed.

Daniel took a sip of his own beer, but then set it aside. He was feeling headachy and exhausted enough already - he didn't need to add being drunk to the mix.

"What's going on down here?" Cassie asked as she came down the stairs in her robe, squinting in the light.

Janet grinned and went over to the stairs to bring Cassie into the room with them. "Something wonderful happened today, sweetheart," she said. "Earth is now a protected planet that the Goa'uld can't touch."

"And Nirrti is gone for good," Sam said.

Daniel felt increasingly melancholy as everyone else rejoiced together over the outcome of the day's events. He knew they all knew that this protected planets treaty could only hold the Goa'uld off for so long, and as for Nirrti being gone for good... there was just no way to know what Chronus had done with her once they went through the gate.

Still, giving Cassie a sense of security was worth stretching the truth a little, so he plastered a smile on his face and tried to look as relaxed as the others.

And really, there was nothing immediate that he had to worry about, he told himself. They were still able to use the Stargate, so he was still free to search for his wife. The Goa'uld might not honour the treaty forever, but at least it would hold them off for now. And as for Nirrti... chances were good that she would never be able to harm Cassie again.

So why couldn't he shake the feeling that the worst was yet to come?

He quietly slipped out of the room when nobody was watching and went into the bathroom to splash some water on his face. He figured being overtired was the reason for his melancholy mood, and one glance at his watch told him why - it was past one o'clock in the morning.

"What a day," he muttered as he dried his face and opened the bathroom door. He couldn't believe how much had happened in just the last few hours.

He didn't see Janet standing in the hallway until he almost bumped into her. "Whoa, hey," he said as he stopped himself just in time. "Didn't see you there."

Janet smiled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to see if... you were okay," she said, seeming to realize partway through her sentence that she was echoing his words from earlier that day.

Daniel couldn't help but smile back. "I'm fine, thanks," he said. "Just exhausted."

"I bet." She studied him in concern as he lifted his glasses to rub his eyes. "Will you be okay to drive home? I'm sure one of the others could give you a ride, or you could even spend the night here if you..."

"No, really," Daniel said, giving his head a sharp shake both to emphasize his answer and to wake himself up. "I'll be fine. It's just a few blocks away anyway."

Janet looked reluctant, but she nodded and squeezed his arm. "You did good today, Daniel. I was impressed when I saw how well you were handling everything."

Daniel waved the comment off. "I was impressed at how well you handled Nirrti being in your infirmary," he said.

"Well, there wasn't much else I could do, as there were other people in the room," Janet said with a sly look in her eyes.

Daniel laughed. "I guess we should have handed Nirrti over to you rather than Chronus," he said. "I would have loved to have seen that."

Janet swatted his arm just as the sound of laughter erupted in the living room. "I should get back in there," she said. "Are you coming?"

"No, I should get going. Thanks for... well, thanks."

She smiled and reached up to give him a quick hug. "Be careful on the road," she said as she pulled away.

"I will." Daniel cleared his throat awkwardly and quickly moved to fetch his coat from the hall closet. "Goodnight, everyone," he called into the living room.

He heard groans and reluctant goodnights from those inside, but a second later they'd gone back to talking and laughing amongst themselves. He looked over at Janet and grinned. "Enjoy the rest of the party," he said as she showed him to the door.

"I will definitely try," Janet said with a laugh. "Goodnight, Daniel."

"See you tomorrow."

Daniel took a deep breath of the cool night air as he jogged down the porch steps and headed for his car. Somehow, though, he no longer felt he needed the cool air to help wake him up. For the second time that day, a short, stolen moment with Janet in amongst the chaos had left him feeling worlds better. She seemed to be becoming his grounding force, always reminding him that he had a purpose, a family... that he wasn't alone.

He could still hear the laughter of his friends inside when he reached his car, so he stood there looking back at the house for a long minute. It wasn't just him, he realized - Janet was a grounding force for all of them. She and Cassie made all of the outrageous things that happened to them seem so distant and small when they were together, and that was something they all desperately needed in order to maintain their sanity.

It wasn't until he shivered in the cold a minute later that he realized he'd been standing there staring, so he quickly got into the car and started it up. As much as he hated to leave, he knew they'd all be waiting for him at the base in the morning, and that he could come by and see Cassie any time he wanted. It was such a warm, comforting thought that he couldn't stop a smile from spreading across his face.

"Maybe I should bring donuts tomorrow," he mused. "Janet loves the jelly-filled ones..."

With that thought in mind, he drove away.

The End


End file.
